


Saviour

by 1Lightweight1



Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Poldark - All Media Types
Genre: Almost blind character, Caring, English isn't my native language, F/M, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, My First Work in This Fandom, Songfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24506764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Lightweight1/pseuds/1Lightweight1
Summary: Violet Enys, impressed by her uncle's work, is also going to devote herself to medicine. However, on the way to the dream, she needs to help restore health first to Dwight himself, and then to his former cellmate
Relationships: Demelza Carne/Ross Poldark, Dwight Enys & Ross Poldark, Dwight Enys/Caroline Penvenen, Hugh Armitage & Dwight Enys, Hugh Armitage/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I am very excited now, as I am publishing my text in a foreign language for the first time here (or on any website in general). As you can see, English is not my native language, I am still learning it, so there may be errors in the text. Please be gentle with me. I hope you like this story

Violet Enys was a curious child from childhood. She was constantly drawn to nature, plants, flowers, but no less to people. From them, she drew inspiration for the stories she used to entertain her parents at dinner. Seeing her creative streak, her mother dreamed of a promising future for her daughter. She hoped that with such a quick mind, Violet would be able to impress any man of the upper class. With such a wife, he will never be bored, which means their marriage can be strong. The girl's father was also happy about the prospect, but the older his daughter got, the more he noticed that Violet became interested in the craft of his cousin, Dwight. She listened with pleasure to his stories about new types of diseases that he had read from the educational literature, and about the methods of their treatment.

"Mother, when I grow up, I want to be like uncle Dwight," Violet once said, just before going to bed.

"I don't think you can do that, honey," the girl's mother said with a kind smile. "Your uncle will be a doctor, but no one will hire women for that position".

"But I also want to treat people," the little girl protested, not understanding the laws of adults. "Why can't women be doctors?"

"We have a another duty. Look after the house, manage the household, and raise children. Believe me, Letty, you are lucky to have been born into a better family than many of your commoner peers. Their lives are much harder than ours".

"But uncle Dwight said we were all equal. The disease does not look at a person's status. We can all get sick the same way".

"That's right, but because of our ancestry, we have more opportunities to heal than those who live in the family of a farmer, blacksmith, or miner".

These words of the mother were stored in the child's memory, but they didn't affect her in the way that her parent would have wanted. As an only child, the girl became friends with the gardener's son, who was her neighbor, and they could often be seen playing together. In the shade of Apple trees, children could hide from the eyes of adults and communicate with each other as equals. At such a young age, classes and ranks are perceived differently, no matter how you turn it, all children are similar – each of them needs a peer with whom you can communicate in a way that you can not do with an adult. However, when the boy became seriously ill, all games stopped immediately. No one told Violet about her friend's condition, and only once did she hear her parents say that the local doctor couldn't save the child's life. A few weeks later, the boy's father disappeared from the garden, and another men was hired in his place. And none of the parents answered their daughter's questions about the reasons for the changes.

Since then, most of the time the girl spent in the library since there were no more children of her age nearby. More precisely, they were, but they were all from a lower class, and her father didn't allow them to enter their territory. Since then Violet's best friends became books and story characters. In her spare time, the little girl walked in the garden, trying to find the plants that she saw in the pictures of books. If she could find a match, she would carefully pluck a leaf or bud and dry it between the leaves of books. So that in winter she can look at them too.

Her life had seemed normal until the ship with her parents was caught in a storm. They were due to return from France that evening after a diplomatic trip, but fate had its score to settle. The captain couldn't control the ship, and the ship skidded on the rocks. Only a few of the passengers and crew escaped, and since then the little girl has remained an orphan. Her upbringing was handled by her grandmother, thanks to whose connections, when girl reached the age of fourteen, the she was accepted to the Academy, where they began to teach manners and behavior in society, foreign languages, music, singing, and painting. When the basics of a lady's life were learned, Violet was able to enroll in a private boarding school, where they trained junior medical staff to help doctors. Given the escalating foreign policy situation between England and its neighbors, the need for such people was high.

So the girl grew up periodically visiting her grandmother, who in her absence managed their house and servants, and sometimes she met her uncle, who was surprised by the choice of her niece but still supported her. On his last visit, he said that he had settled in Truro, Cornwall, and would now treat people there. They continued to communicate from time to time through letters, but at some point, they stopped coming at all. This alarmed Violet. However, she couldn't find out the reasons for the disappearance of her relative. Everything was put in place by a letter from one Ross Poldark, who told her that he was a friend of Dwight's and that Dr. Enys himself had been in shipwrecked some time ago and had been captured by the French. He had to spend several months in an enemy prison, but they managed to save him and now he is at home, but his health leaves much to be desired. Poldark also admitted that he decided to tell Violet about it since she is the only relative whose whereabouts he knows. Realizing that at some point such news might have reached her anyway, Ross decided to clear up the whole situation firsthand, so that there would be no confusion.

"Mrs. Lewis," Violet said, knocking on the headmistress's door a little louder than usual, and with permission entered the spacious office. Along both walls were dark brown shelves of books, dried plants behind glass frames, and several jars of embalmed animal organs. Any student felt uneasy in this gloomy atmosphere, dispersed only by the light from numerous candles since it was already quite dark outside the window.

"Miss Enys?" the middle-aged woman asked, frowning slightly and drawing her brows together. "What brings you to my office at this time of night? Lights out soon".

"Yes, I know," the girl began, gathering her courage. "I'd like to talk to you about something."

"About what?" the headmistress asked, gesturing for the student to take a seat behind an empty wooden chair. "Is something wrong? You look a little paler than usual".

"I received news of my uncle today," Violet murmured, holding the letter in her hands. "He was recently rescued from captivity and served as a doctor, but was captured by the French and put in prison. One of his friends reported that my uncle's condition is far from normal after all that had happened to him. I would like to ask your permission to visit him since I have no other relatives besides him and my grandmother".

"Where does your uncle live now?"

"In Cornwall, in Truro, to be precise," she said, recalling their last conversation. "Mrs. Lewis, my grades are among the highest among my peers. I promise, my academic performance will not suffer, please let me go to see my uncle".

"I need to think about it," the woman said, picking up Violet's report card without risking a hasty response. This student made great progress, especially in traumatology and first aid. Many teachers spoke positively of her actions in class, praising her tenacious mind, and broad knowledge of botany. "Come and see me in the morning after breakfast. Then I will tell you my final decision".

Fortunately for the girl, the headmistress still allowed her to go to Cornwall, having learned through their channels about the fate of her parents, who died in a shipwreck a few years ago. The topic of traveling on the seas and oceans is difficult for this young person – so the head of the boarding house believed. By the end of the same week, miss Enys had arrived in Cornwall with her small luggage, and by evening was in the vicinity of Truro. The city was gradually approaching twilight, and it was not safe for a young, lonely, and defenseless girl to remain on the street. When Violet found out the address of the only hotel in town that could accommodate a guest at this hour, she went straight there.

Red Lion met her with noise and uproar, which at first slightly confused the guest. Because of her long residence among people of her status, the large gathering of rural gentry and simple male peasants who were tipsy caused her a certain amount of consternation at the sight of all this. Without risking to remove the hood of her dark cape, miss Enys, with the help of one of the waitresses, found the innkeeper and arranged for a spare room. After waiting out the most dangerous time there, the next morning the girl went to look for the estate of the Poldark who had written her a letter. Sam Carne, a Methodist at the local Church, volunteered to escort her to her destination. The two young people had a lot in common, and the trip to Nampara passed unnoticed as they talked about theology that Violet had been learned at the Academy.

***

"Miss Enys?" Poldark was surprised when she introduced herself. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I received your letter," she said, pulling a folded piece of paper from her reticule and showing it to him.

"I'm sorry if I startled you with it," Ross said, wiping the sweat from his brow with his shirt sleeve as she put the paper back. Dwight is okay, he is now at home with his wife…

"Does my uncle have a wife?" Violet asked, her blue eyes wide with shock. "He didn't tell me about it."

"Very few people know about his wedding to Caroline," the man added politely. "Only my wife, Demelza, and I were present".

"I'm sorry to ask, but could you take me to him?" she asked, wanting to be close to one of the few people she truly loved as soon as possible. "If everything is as you described, maybe meeting me will help him get better."

"Of course, I'll change and show you the way."

While waiting for Ross, Violet also got to know Demelza, who was doing the housework with Prudie. The good-natured disposition of the red-haired mistress of the house allowed the girl to open up a little more than with her husband was present, and in a few minutes, they both said goodbye to each other with a smile. During the ride to Killworen on a borrowed horse, miss Enys tried to ask a little of her new acquaintance about this mysterious Caroline. Poldark agreed with pleasure, but none of his stories could overshadow the personal acquaintance of the two women who were dear to Dwight.

When Caroline saw Ross standing in the doorway with an unknown young woman, she stiffened at first and looked from one guest to the other. The tension in her face eased somewhat when it became clear who this stranger was. After warning both of them about Dwight's current state of mind, she led them to the light and airy library. Two walls were lined with large bookcases filled with all sorts of literature. Most of them were still from Ray Penvenen, but gradually the collection was supplemented by works on medicine. Sunlight glinted off the large windows that overlooked the blooming garden. It was near one of them that they saw Dr. Enys, who was sitting in a chair and did not even seem to notice their appearance, lost again in his memories.

"Uncle!" the girl snapped first, almost running up to him and squatting down beside him. No one even had time to stop her. "Uncle Dwight, it's me, Violet".

"Violet? What- " he asked, frowning at her. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"I came to Cornwall as soon as I found out what had happened to you," younger Enys said with a small smile and put her hand on top of his.

"I told her that," Ross said, taking the brunt of it as he took a few steps toward his friend. "I thought that somehow or other she would hear of your capture and rescue. It would be better to let her know it firsthand than from gossip".

"You shouldn't have come here," the doctor said her sternly, after giving his wayward companion a brief, displeased look. "I'm all right. What about your studies…"

"Mrs. Lewis gave me permission to visit you," the girl said, foreshadowing further questions. "It won't affect my studies, honestly. Do you think the headmistress would let me leave the boarding house if it affected my grades?"

The phrase made Dwight think for a moment, and the library fell silent. This was taken advantage of by Poldark, who hastily decided to return to Nampara, as he was to help Demelza with the housework that day and go to the mine after dinner. Caroline, seeing a certain recovery in the behavior of her husband, has also left both Enys', allowing them to talk alone. She didn't know how to feel about Violet yet since she'd only heard about her from Dwight before. He spoke very positively about his niece, but the distrust that had been brought up in her left some doubts about the young girl. But part of her still knew that it would be better if the two of them could find common ground. For Dwight's sake, at least.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a few days. When the first day over lunch Caroline found out where he stayed Violet, then asked her to move in Killworren. First, it would be safer for her and more convenient for everyone, since sometimes the Red Lion wasn't safe place for young lonely lady. Second, it could be the first step in building a good relationship with new relatives. The doctor seconded his wife's opinion, and by evening all of the young miss Enys' belongings had been brought to the manor in one of the many spare rooms. This generosity on the part of the hostess surprised Violet, as it was still difficult for her to get used to the new woman, but seeing the attitude of Caroline to Dwight, the girl still decided to give her a chance. However, getting used to each other's company was difficult at first. They didn't have many obvious topics in common, so when they were alone, they usually avoided any conversation at all. It was not until the end of the first week that the ladies began to get closer to each other, even by discussing the weather and telling a little about themselves and their past.

Thanks to an abundance of vitamins and the care of two of the women closest to him, Dr. Enys looked better. The traces of scurvy began to disappear, and the bruises on his body gradually paled, but his psychological state was still undermined. From time to time, various moments from life in prison, the faces of those he had failed to save, all the horrors of the French came back to mind… All this he kept tightly to himself, afraid to tell anyone about the experience. None of his entourage will not be able to understand what he had to see in captivity. When he learned this from Caroline on his next visit, Ross suggested that she invite Lieutenant Armitage, who was also a prisoner at the same place, to Killworren. This idea seemed dubious to Caroline, but she still agreed. She was willing to do anything to get her husband back to normal as soon as possible.

After receiving her approval, Poldark returned to the manor with Hugh the next day. Violet had just persuaded her uncle to take a walk in the garden. Fresh air, sunlight, and an abundance of flowering plants should have helped Dwight realize that all the worst was behind him. Now he is at home, surrounded by family, thanks to the courage and fearlessness of his friends and comrades. When the doctor saw his new friend standing next to Ross, he was immediately happy and went over to hug him. The girl tactfully stepped aside, not risking interrupting the reunion.

"Who is this man that Captain Poldark brought?" she asked Caroline, who was standing in the shadow of the house with Horace at her feet.

"Lieutenant Hugh Armitage," the lady of the manor explained, her gaze following the two men as they walked deeper into the garden. Ross, after bidding them goodbye, went about his business again. "As far as I know, he was in the same prison as Dwight and even helped him with the treatment of the wounded. He, along with several other prisoners, managed to escape during the rescue operation."

"I hope his presence will help uncle Dwight," Violet murmured, pursing her lips a little. "I can't bear to see him suffer. I can't imagine what it's like for you my lady."

"No need to be so formal," Caroline said and instantly focused the other woman's attention on herself. "We don't have that much of an age difference. Otherwise, it seems to me that I'm getting older by leaps and bounds".

"All right, I agree," the young woman said, and a slight chuckle escaped her.

"Besides, I'm willing to admit that Dwight has been smiling more often since you arrived. Soon enough, Dr. Enys would be back to normal, spending days and sometimes nights with his patients".

"That's his job," Violet said. "I think I'll be doing the same thing soon. Almost the same. Still, I will never be a full-fledged doctor like my uncle. I was born a woman".

"I don't think it's fair to judge a person's capabilities based on their gender. Can't a woman work as a doctor, banker, or parliamentarian?" Caroline snorted, and Horace hurried after his mistress inside, as did the other woman. "Men underestimate us. They don't think we can do anything. That our role is a trophy, to show off to a bunch of snobs, and then to be forever engaged in raising children and managing the household".

"Women can do their work just as well as men," agreed to miss Enys, as she poured herself some cool water from a glass pitcher. "I'm sure one day we'll be able to show the opposite sex our true strength."

"They'll be surprised when they realize we're not empty-headed dolls," Caroline said with a faint grin, meeting her guest's mocking blue eyes.

"We certainly have something to surprise them with".

"Undoubtedly".

  
***

Gradually, Dwight got better and started going out more often. If the weather allowed, he could stop in the shade of a wooden gazebo, reading another book. All these days Hugh visited him periodically, in his way helping his friend to understand the reality of his surroundings and the end of French torture. At some point in Killworren doors knocked on, delivering an urgent request for help. In one of the peasant families, a little boy fell ill. A single mother working in the fields doesn't have enough money to pay for Dr. Chowk's services, so she decided to contact Dr. Enys through her eldest son.

"Dwight isn't in a position to help anyone right now," Caroline said, frowning slightly at the request. "Unfortunately, we can't help you here".

"Why not?" Violet's voice came suddenly, as she entered the living room just in time. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but do any of the local villagers need a doctor?"

"Yes, my lady," the boy said, nodding slightly and shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "My little brother is ill. He has a fever, a cough, and a very sore throat. We have tried all the tools we know, but nothing helps".

"As I said, Dr. Enys isn't seeing anyone right now," the lady of the manor said flatly, stroking the sleeping pug in her lap.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" the girl decided to volunteer, realizing that it would be difficult for her to let go of the thought of a child suffering somewhere nearby. "I don't know as much as uncle Dwight, but I know a few things, too. You don't mind, do you, Caroline?"

"I have no right to stop you," she said, mentally noting her husband's resemblance to his niece. It is difficult for both of them to refuse to help people in trouble, even considering that these sufferers are unlikely to be able to pay for the services of a qualified doctor.

"Then wait for me here," the girl turned to the teenager, who stared at her in disbelief. "I'll just grab some things from my uncle's office and be right back. I hope he doesn't notice anything".

"I'm not going to tell Dwight where you're going," Caroline added. "Otherwise, he might come to you. It is too early for him to devote himself to others, he has not fully recovered himself".

"Then I'll put him at your disposal," Violet said with a small smile as she slung a bag of essential medications over her shoulder.

After receiving a short nod, guests Killworren turned to the door and a quick step went to the house through the nearby forest. As it turned out during the examination and after talking with the family, the little boy most likely caught the virus while bathing in a cold spring near the village. On that day, the weather was hot like in summer, and the child could not resist water games with his older brother. Only if the teenager was able to carry the disease easier, then the young and weak body got more. His immune system isn't that strong yet, but it all comes with age. After showing the children's mother what herbs and in what proportions should be mixed to prepare an antipyretic decoction, the girl helped the patient to ease the pain in his throat with a drug from his uncle's stores.

After staying at the farmhouse until almost evening, she was convinced that her methods help. The boy's body temperature began to gradually decrease, and the hoarse cough now appeared rarely, giving the child a quiet sleep. Punishing the older of the brothers to report to her about changes to the health of the sick, Violet headed back to Killworren. The teenager, in gratitude for what he had done, took her to the gates of the estate, promising to follow all the recommendations of the young nurse. Miss Enys was walking along the stone path in front of the house, preoccupied with her patient when she suddenly bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," came a voice from beside her, and strong arms wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling to the ground. "I didn't see you, my lady."

She didn't even know when she closed her eyes as she fell, and when she opened them, she met a worried brown gaze. It seemed like several minutes had passed by the time she finally dared to blink.

"Are you hurt?" continuing to look at her from above down asked the young man.

"I-It's all right," Violet murmured, loosening her thin fingers on her rescuer's shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, helping her to her upright position with an awkward smile. "I was thinking, and I didn't see where I was going".

"I understand," she said with a self-conscious smile, indicating that the incident had not caused her any inconvenience. "I didn't look down, either".

"Allow me to introduce myself, Lieutenant Hugh Armitage," her new acquaintance said, bowing his head slightly.

"Miss Violet Enys" elegantly sat down in a curtsy, she said, briefly lowering her gaze to the ground.

"You're Dwight's niece, right? He told me that you had recently arrived in Cornwall".

"That's right, I got a letter from Captain Poldark about what happened to my uncle, and I couldn't help coming to make sure that uncle Dwight was all right. You came to help him, didn't you?"

"Yes," Hugh admitted, taking a deep breath as if trying to banish the memory of the past from his mind. "I was in a French prison with him until we were rescued by Captain Poldark and his friends".

"They were very brave to do such a thing," Violet murmured, understanding the danger of the situation.

"About a dozen and a half people were saved by their bravery," Armitage said, to her surprise. "For that, I will be eternally grateful."

After a little more conversation, the young people were forced to say goodbye, as the sun was already approaching sunset. Shortly before bedtime, Violet took a small leather diary from the bedside table and sat down at her desk, deciding to note in her notes that this was the first time she had been entrusted with the life of an innocent boy in Cornwall. She briefly described the symptoms she had noticed and the remedies she had used to alleviate the poor boy's suffering. Nor did she refrain from writing a few lines about her acquaintance with Lieutenant Armitage, mentioning his contribution to her uncle's recovery.

From the day Hugh came to see Dwight, he had always stopped to talk to miss Enys. They were discussing prose and poetry when it became clear that they share the tastes. The subject of a painting was also brought up during the general walks through the beautiful gardens of Killworren, but the girl was sorry to admit that she was not very good at it. To fill in any gaps, the young man invited Violet to visit Tregotnott, where they could admire the collection collected by his uncle, Lord Falmouth. When miss Enys heard this, she smiled sheepishly, promising to take advantage of the invitation one day.

A couple of times, the same teenager, the brother of the sick boy, came by with the news that her first patient was fortunately on the mend. The symptoms of the disease recede, he can already get out of bed, but their mother still forbids him to walk for a long time on the street, for fear of complications. When the girl one day decided to personally visit their family, the woman even treated her to a fish pie as a sign of gratitude. She couldn't ask for more than that. Wishing them health, future nurse headed back to Killworren.

"I see you and Lieutenant Armitage have hit it off," Caroline said casually over dinner one day, with a glance in her guest's direction.

"Yes," Violet murmured, hiding her awkwardness as she tucked a strand of her wheat-colored hair behind her ear. "We have similar tastes in literature".

"Now you'll have someone to talk to about your new book," said Dwight, who had been feeling better over the past few weeks, with a soft smile. "I'm not the right person for this role."

"Dr. Enys only reads scientific books," the lady of the manor said, taking a sip of wine from her glass. "I tried to show him that there is a lot of literature in the Killowren library, but he doesn't change his habit".

"I find them more useful than fiction," her husband said, meeting her eyes. "But I also read it periodically to keep up with current trends".

"At least I got you used to something," Caroline said, taking his hand and feeling the firm grip of her own in return. "Be glad, Violet, that you have a companion who shares your preferences. These are not so easy to find now".

Feeling the faintest blush on her cheeks at Caroline's innuendos, miss Enys tried to change the subject so that no one would see her changed appearance. She had already noticed that it was a little more difficult than usual to control her nervousness at the sight of Hugh, and she didn't need to be reminded of it. The girl was really glad that here, so far from home, she was able to find a person with whom she could talk not only about her uncle's health or about novelties in literature, but also life. Sharing stories about the past, they could walk around the garden to the pond in circles, and not even notice it, being immersed only in conversation.

However, after some time, Violet still had to return to the boarding school to finish her final year of training, and after that, she would have a chance to find a job with one of the doctors as an assistant. Promising to keep her uncle up to date with her studies, she got into the carriage that Caroline had ordered for her, and where all her belongings were already stored, and headed out of the manor. "It's not long now," she reassured herself as she gazed sadly at the Cornwall landscape that had already become familiar to her. "I will soon have a life of my own."


End file.
